My Melody
by PaulineBliss
Summary: Ulquiorra notices the gypsies are back in Karakura village. He hates to see them playing their irritating tunes. But when his eyes fell on an auburn haired girl, he might think differently about them. UlquiHime. Rated M for later chapters. Think of the scenery as in the movie 'Rapunzel' or something :)
1. Chapter 1, Beauty

Hi there! This is my very first Ulquihime Fanfic and I'm proud of it, haha. Rated M for later chapters ^^

Enjoy!

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_**Chapter A, Beauty**_

On a sunny spring day in Karakura village, Ulquiorra found himself mumbling in the shades. He hated the heat, he hated the burning sun and most of all, he loathed the thousand traveling music players, the gypsies. They always came to villages at the most irritating times and today was no different. When walking on the paths, they would often shove their loud instruments in your face and encourage you to sing along. He absolutely, positively HATED them.

Although this would normally one of those days, he found himself glued to the tree he was leaning to. It was slight, very quiet, but he heard it. A soft, feminine voice reached his ears and it was supported by the silent plucking of a harp. The sound came from behind him, so he turned around only to see the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen sit nearby the river. She swayed along with her song and her hair was a fiery orange/red color. He had yet to see her face. And know her name.

Wait, wait, wait, hold on. What was wrong with him all of a sudden? Ulquiorra in trance by a mere woman? The thought itself was preposterous. Not ever had he lowered himself to such primary emotions, so why would he now? He had seen attractive women before, she was nothing special.

He thought.

"Orihime, honey! We have to go!" an old woman's voice shouted.

"_Orihime..._" the young man whispered in himself.

"Coming, Hama!" the girl said back.

What was it that caught his attention more? Her voice, her laughter or those... oh my god...

Ulquiorra watched her stand up and turn slightly in his direction. Never had he imagined the beauty that would encounter him. The girl standing before him was absolutely the most angelic appearance he had ever witnessed. And yet, he knew nothing about her. The girl drifted away from him, she followed the river all while happily singing and stroking the little harp she had. She was a gypsy, part of the irritating, stealing and singing population that plagued the villages. But her, no, she wasn't anything that could possibly fit in that description.

As he saw her face, her glowing grey eyes and pink lips humming a pleasant song, his breath hitched. Such beauty didn't belong here, no, absolutely not. The sunrays rebounded on her hair and the tips glowed a stunning gold.

She wore a simple brown dress, reaching her ankles and no shoes. He wondered if she had many scars on them, for walking here would definitely result in cuts, knowing the rubbish lying around. The dress hugged her well-shaped curves and he noticed a blue hairpin at the side of her head, holding a few locks and making her look even more elegant.

"Oh! Hama sorry I forgot something! I'll be there in a moment!"

The girl skipped to her former place again and searched for something. She turned around a few times and sighed inwardly. Ulquiorra wondered what she could have lost and just when he was about to go and ask her, a tall ginger haired guy came running up to her.

"Yo! Lost something?"

The girl turned and blushed, Ulquiorra wondered why.

"Oh! Kurosaki-kun! Well... you see, my other hairpin... I can't seem to find it..." the girl managed to say.

"No problem, I'll help you, Inoue."

"T-thank you!"

Ulquiorra tsked. If he knew one thing, it was that she was far too flustered when it came to that guy. He had suspicions about her weird behavior, but he decided to let it pass. After all, he didn't even know her.

_But he was bound to get to know her._


	2. Chapter 2, Ride

Chapter 2, Ride

Orihime hummed happily around the house. She washed off the last plate and then fell onto a chair like a sack of potatoes. The seven children were playing in the garden, so she thought she could sneak out again. Just for a few hours, to sing and do her thing for once, instead of babysitting all the time while the parents were out all day.

She took her harp and skipped out the door. She stroked the side of her head and frowned. She still hadn't found the lost hairpin and she was getting anxious. What if someone took it? Then she would probably never find it again. Sighing, she walked down the river again, passing a farm. The animals there were cute and sometimes, she'd pick some grass and feed it to the poor things. She knew they got enough food, probably too much, but she just couldn't avoid those pleading looks. She especially liked the horses. There were some brown ones, a horse with dots all over its body, a palomino and one black horse.

As she fed the horses and goats, yet again, she hummed a tune and soon, began singing. The horses seemed to like the soft pitches in her voice and they all came to stand around her. This probably wasn't their intention, they just wanted more food. But Orihime liked to believe they did like music.

"They get plenty enough food, you know."

Orihime almost jumped and dropped her harp over the barbed wire. Soon, the horse began to push each other in order to get to the bundle of grass, stomping the harp in the process. The strings got loose and the wood cracked easily. When the horses had calmed down, she ducked and took the harp - or what was left of it - out of the pool of mud.

"Oh no..." she whispered.

"I-I'm so sorry, I..."

She looked up to the figure standing next to her. It was a guy she had never seen before. He was half a head taller, had black hair and green eyes. She swore she had never seen such deep green in her life. Although he looked pale, she could tell it was his natural skin tone and no sign of sickness. The only thing that was a little disturbing was the fact that he had two large scars, leading from his eyes to the bottom of his cheeks.

"Don't... don't worry about it..." she said, eyes down.

Ulquiorra heard his heart thump in his chest. Great. The first thing he says to her results in breaking her little harp. Just great.

"Is there any way I can make it up to you?" he asked.

Orihime was kind at heart. She knew he didn't cause this, she was just too clumsy to drop the harp. He didn't do anything wrong, but still, she was curious about him. Maybe she needed some distraction today. Because, she knew what was going to happen this evening. She wanted this day to have a little joy in it...

"Uhm... do you know who owns these horses?"

"Mr. Urahara Kisuke."

"Oh, I don't know him... I wanted to ask him if he'd mind I ride one of his horses today."

"Well," he paused a moment "I work here. I know he'd never let anyone touch his 'babies'."

He used two fingers on each hand to support the word, gaining a chuckle of her.

God, she's cute when she laughs. Wait, wut?!

"Uhm... you're daydreaming..."

"Sorry."

He glanced sideward's to see her downcast look. He knew he was going to regret this later, but somehow his body moved for him. He suddenly lost control of what he was doing.

He jumped over the fence and took two fingers in his mouth. The black horse responded to the whistle and walked over to Ulquiorra's side.

"So, pick a horse. This one's mine. His name is Murcielago."

"What a cool name! Oh oh oh! Are there white ones?"

"I'm afraid we only have brown ones, a palomino and one freckled old geezer left."

"Oh, well, the palomino looks adorable, so I'll take that one." she smiled.

"Good choice, she's the mare here and runs the place. She has all the males at her feet, but she's actually my horses girlfriend, if you could call it like that." he chuckled.

"I bet they have had a few romantic dates then?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Well, I'd think they have dinner on hay stacks with little fireflies lighting the night. Also, they would eat flowers and fresh cut grass with mineral water and I bet they would ruffle each other's necks. I've seen horses do that once in a while, although I don't know why they do that, you know, and-"

"Are you going to help me a little here? Don't want to interrupt your fantasies there, but we have to get back before dusk."

"Woops, sorry about that, I tend to get a little excited."

"I heard that." he chuckled.

As she took the horse by its rope, she followed him out of the stables and onto the road. He helped her get on her horse and he got on his.

"By the way, what's her name?" she asked, patting the horse's neck.

"I don't know. I always call her Onna, out of frustration."

"Why?"

"Because, although my horse has the name of a demon, that mere you are riding has definitely the spirit and habits of one."

"Oh, has she bothered you a lot then?" she smiled.

He noticed the undertone in her voice, she was messing with him, he could tell. It wasn't a bad type of messing, but he didn't like to be mocked with.

"Indeed she has. One time, when I was feeding the males, she would just chase them away and have her fill. When I tried to get her away, for she had already had her nourishments for the day, she kicked me. My shoulder was dislocated and I had to lay still for days."

Orihime was shocked, the mere was calm and had an easy pace. When she dropped the rope to comment, however, the horse picked up a wrong signal and started galloping. Orihime shouted and panicked, causing the horse to run even faster.

"Orihime!" Ulquiorra shouted.

He didn't have to give his horse any signals, Murcielago knew what to do. He began sprinting faster than any horse could have ran and after a few seconds, they were right beside them. Ulquiorra snatched the rope fast and pulled with immense force, causing the horse to stop. Due to the sudden stop, Orihime tumbled over the horses' neck and rolled off the path, into the woods.

Ulquiorra hopped off his horse and ran down the hill, careful not to fall. He saw her laying a few feet further and when he reached her, he took her in his arms.

"Orihime?"

He looked down at the girl in his arms. She had a bruise on her forehead and the top of her dress was ripped completely off her body. He tried to hide his blush, but all efforts in vain. He pulled out his shirt and covered her with it. Now it was Orihime's time to blush. His abdomen and torso were so well shaped! His arms were strong, his body was flawless and every muscle popped out.

"I'm so sorry. I'll take you back to the village. This time, we're riding only my horse."

"Well, yeah, knowing I can't ride one..."

"You what?"

"Hehe..."

"You're unbelievable."

"Says the one that believes in demons."

"Says the one who asks to ride a horse even when she can't even ride one in the first place."

"Touché." she giggled.

When he tried to support her by touching her back, she flinched and hissed.

"What, did I hurt you? Are you hurt? Come, let me-"

"No! No, hehe, I'm fine, it's fine, a branch just poked my back, nothing bad." she blurted.

"I see." was all he said.

He carried her on his back and helped her to get on Murcielago. She had put on his shirt and she was constantly hugging herself. As if she was cold.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"Well of course. But it's not as if having your dress being torn in front of a guy is very comforting."

"Oh..."

She giggled and ruffled his hair. He grunted in disapproval and she laughed even harder. He sat behind her on Murcielago and held the devilish mere by the rope. She smelled so nice, he didn't know if it was her natural scent or some soap she used frequently. In any way, he couldn't think of anything he disliked about her.

They almost entered the village when suddenly she looked at him and asked to drop her off here. She said that they were surely going to meet again. She w in a hurry, he could tell.

"Wait, just a moment." he said.

Ulquiorra got off the horse and turned. He pulled something out of his pocked and by seeing it, she jumped in his arms, thanking him over and over again, all while nearly suffocating him.


	3. Chapter 3, Travel

**_Chapter 3, Travel_**

Why had she gone out today? Why? Now the parents were throwing insults at her for leaving the kids alone and not finishing her chores. She tried to explain it wasn't her intention to come back this late, but they didn't want to hear anything so they dragged her to the attic and locked her up there.

Normally, she would play on her little harp and sing until she fell asleep. The hours she had to spend up here weren't so bad when she knew how to entertain herself. But now her instrument was broken, she had nothing to do. So, bored as hell, she laid down and tried to fall asleep. It was already dark outside, anyways.

There was something going on outside, however. She heard shouts and swearing words. She dragged a chair under the window and stood on it. Still, she had to stand on her toes to see anything.

"Who do you think you are, you worthless stable boy! If I ever see you again I will draw those scars all the way down your chest, is that understood!?" shouted the farmer.

"It wasn't my fault you walked in front of me while you knew I had horses with me. Better keep an eye on your crops next time." the boy responded nonchalantly.

"You little... Do you know how much effort I put into this crops! They were fresh and ready to sell to the king's men! Now I have to start all over again because of you!"

"If I recall correctly, it wasn't me who ate those vegetables, it was the horse. And if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than listen to your worthless complaining, trash."

The boy walked away, avoiding the farmer completely as he walked over to Karakura's stables.

"I hope he doesn't get into any trouble..." she whispered.

"Who's in trouble, my dear?" a smooth, scary voice said behind her.

"Oh-uhm... Aizen-sama, hi, how... was your day?"

"All right I guess, but I think we can make the day PERFECT, my flower."

She felt fear building up inside. The man approached her at an easy pace and it only freaked her out more. This was like a routine. Every week the man would come to satisfy his lusts with the innocent girl. As he would lavish her and strike her back with the whip, she'd be in another world, completely out of it, fantasizing being the lovely girl that would put a smile on everyone's faces. One image shocked her though, she saw the mysterious black haired man, standing under a tree, smiling at her.

_The next week_

Ulquiorra managed to avoid another kick from the mere as it tried to steal food again. That mere was seriously driving him to the edge. As he was about to take a shovel and clean the stables from the heaps of horseshit, he saw the girl, standing at the riverside.

_"Well, a short break won't hurt anybody."_ he thought.

He reached the girl and stood next to her. He was about to greet her when he saw a lonely tear spill from her eyes. Orihime hadn't even noticed his presence up until now.

"Oh! Hi, how are you!" she beamed.

"I'm fine but how about you? I can see there's something wrong."

Orihime frowned and sat down on the grass. She plucked some flowers and began to weave the stalks in a braid - manner. Ulquiorra decided not to push her and let her be. Besides, watching her tiny hands working on the flowers was adorable.

"Look! I made a crown!" she laughed.

When she put the artwork on her head, Ulquiorra had effort concealing his blush. How was it that this girl had such an influence in him? The flowers were white with yellow edges and it suited her well. Her hair was as bright as ever, but her eyes were faded and absent.

"Hey, I know there's something wrong. I don't like to see you this ."

"But there's really nothing wrong! Can't I be just a little quiet once in a while?"

"Onna."

Orihime jerked and looked at him. He saw a strange emotion well up inside of her. When he thought she would burst out and cry, she burst out in laughter.

"Oh! I see! What now? Do you want me to kick you on the shoulder? Hahahahaa!"

She laughed so hard she had to clutch her stomach. Tears were falling from her cheeks and her face was red. She rolled up and down the riverside and hiccupped multiple times.

"You should've seen you're face when you said that! Haha! You were like very serious and -HAHAHA! - and then you said 'Onna'! Hahaha!"

"Obviously you have noticed my annoyance."

"There you go again! All with the serious face! Do you ever really laugh?" she asked, wiping a few tears away.

"Hardly ever." he replied.

"Now, now, now. Don't be like that! I'm gonna turn that frown upside down, if it's the last thing I do!"

"Really?"

"Yes! And you know what? We'll make a deal."

Ulquiorra now fully looked at her, still trying not to sink into her gray pools.

"If I succeed in making you laugh, like I just did, you have to, uhm..."

She tapped her finger on her lips and thought for a moment. Then, a light bulb.

"You'll have to teach me how to drive a horse!"

"Are you serious? Well, I'm not ever putting you on the Onna again. You'll ride on my horse, then."

She clapped her hands together enthusiastically. But there was something still bothering her. She wondered if she could ask him, but maybe that would be a bit blu-

"If you want to say something, then out with it."

"Oh! Hehe, I uhm... I was wondering, if you could help me with something..."

"And what might that be?" he asked.

"Well, you see... My harp broke the other day, and now I can't sing anymore. I mean I still CAN sing, but it's just not the same... And I would reallyreallyreallyreally but a new one, but I don't know any stores around that have such shops..."

"So?"

"Could you like... travel with me to... you know... Hueco Mundo?"


	4. Chapter 4, The Beginning

**_Chapter 4, Beginning_**

Why, why, why, why ,why, WHY did he agree to THIS?

"Oh! and then, we went to the next village, but the people there weren't so nice because you see"

Does she ever shut up? She's driving me crazy.

"So that's basically why I don't go there anymore, never ever ever again! Did you know the bread there is always expired? You should never try and buy some bread there, trust me! When I wanted to buy some for the kids"

This is getting tiring... Why did I agree to this? Maybe... Maybe it's because I find her interesting... What's she talking about now? *sigh* I can't even keep up with her babbling.

"Ulquiorra!"

He was thrown out of his thoughts by the pouting girl behind him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You didn't answer me! I asked if you have a map, so I can help you navigate."

"There's no need for that. I know these roads."

"But what if we get lost because you... I don't know, forget to turn or something..."

"That's highly unlikeable to happen, now seize your talking. It's driving me insane."

"Oh! Ulquiorra you weren't listening at all were you!"

"No." he chuckled.

Ulquiorra made a dreadful mistake by looking behind him. The girl was taking in the environment all while humming. Her fiery hair never seemed to bore him, as he was, again, fascinated by the strands of orange.

"Owwiee!" she whined, suddenly.

"What? What is it?"

"A... mosquito, it bit me..."

"And your making such a fuss because of that?"

"Hey! It hurts you know!"

"Sure it does."

"You're mean." she snapped.

"And you're annoying."

"Oh, yeah? Then why did you agree to have this looooooong trip with me? Huh?"

"That reason is unknown. Even for myself."

Orihime didn't really know how to respond to that. When he noticed she was... quiet... he poked her in the back. What he wasn't expecting, was her wincing.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing. You just surprised me."

"I know for certain that you experienced some sort of pain. What is wrong?"

"It tickled."

"There are no such places on the back that can produce a ticklish feeling, except when touched very softly. And if I recall correctly, I did no such thing, so tell me what is wrong."

"No!"

"_Onna-_" he warned.

She had, however, fresh tears threatening to spill from her eyes. He didn't like to see her like this, not at all. Not to mention the painful twist in his chest whenever he saw that expression on her face.


End file.
